An Interview with Ian Bishop

[gvenkat]

On the eve of the first Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka, Cricket Web presents an exclusive interview with former West Indian fast bowler Ian Bishop. Here is the excerpt of the Interview.

Cricket Web - Features: An Interview with Ian Bishop

 

[gvenkat]

Test

 

[smash84]

Cricket Web - Features: An Interview with Ian Bishop

Nice interview.

Didn't know that Ian Bishop rated Tendulkar as the toughest opponent.

 

[pasag]

Great stuff!

 

[bagapath]

test

t20

so good to see CW directly interviewing such wonderful players like Bishop. Cant believe he respects Sachin so much. Good interview.

 

[Himannv]

Good interview, but you'd probably need to improve the grammer a bit here and there.

 

[gvenkat]

Thanks for pointing out the typos,grammar etc. and I know it needs some rework.. However remember that the answers are Verbatim translated so I did not want to bungle with that even if it was a little off-grammar.

The content mgmt tool does some corrections and word does it own thing.. Will give it another read and probably correct those. Thanks for your comments though

 

[Debris]

t20

so good to see CW directly interviewing such wonderful players like Bishop. Cant believe he respects Sachin so much. Good interview.

Was it really that hard to believe?

 

[smash84]

Was it really that hard to believe?

it might be for some since Bishop didn't play too much cricket against Sachin IIRC.

 

[bagapath]

Was it really that hard to believe?

kind of hard because bishop had played under richards and seen a lot of lara from close quarters. so he has seen enough great batsmen. he also crossed swords with border and waugh and miandad and crowe. so he knew what it means to bowl at champions. and bishop was a very good fast bowler himself. not just a good bowler like patterson, for example. so for him to single out tendulkar and place him so far ahead of everybody else and praise him in the words he has used in the interview... yeah, it is suprising.

 

[smash84]

kind of hard because bishop had played under richards and seen a lot of lara from close quarters. so he has seen enough great batsmen. he also crossed swords with border and waugh and miandad and crowe. so he knew what it means to bowl at champions. and bishop was a very good fast bowler himself. not just a good bowler like patterson, for example. so for him to single out tendulkar and place him so far ahead of everybody else and praise him in the words he has used in the interview... yeah, it is suprising.

well said........the Indian cricket power (off the field in particular) is quite intimidating to most observers of the game. It doesn't hurt at all to stay in the Indians' good books. And Bishop would earn quite a few Brownie points with the indian fans by saying that.

As you mention Bishop had played against other champion players especially during his peak years and for him to rate Sachin far ahead of them (which in itself is not such a big deal) and that too without even a mention of others in the list of tough opponents sounds a bit strange.

 

[sachin200]

Sachin Tendulkar's performance (Test + ODI) in matches involving Ian Bishop

 

[Jono]

Haha yes, Bishop named Sachin with the ulterior purpose of currying favour with Indian fans to further his commentary career

How about the fact that Sachin is a ****ing gun? May have something to do with it.

 

[smash84]

Haha yes, Bishop named Sachin with the ulterior purpose of currying favour with Indian fans to further his commentary career

How about the fact that Sachin is a ****ing gun? May have something to do with it.

Who ever said that Sachin isn't a great batsman???? But there are other great batsmen whom Bishop has played against and their name could have come up as well (at least in passing). This makes it look a little conspicuous. That's all.

 

[vcs]

Well, he was asked his opinion on who he thought was the best batsmen he bowled to (not to talk about all the great players he played with/against) and Tendulkar was the one he named. Nothing outlandish about that and no need to read any ulterior motives, especially given the fact that he's not given this interview to The Times of India or some such publication.

 

[NasserFan207]

Lol yeah, not sure naming Tendulkar as your best opponent can be called controversial mate.

 

[honestbharani]

Well, he was asked his opinion on who he thought was the best batsmen he bowled to (not to talk about all the great players he played with/against) and Tendulkar was the one he named. Nothing outlandish about that and no need to read any ulterior motives, especially given the fact that he's not given this interview to The Times of India or some such publication.

AWTA.. Given that he played for the same FC side as Lara, I am pretty sure this is not his way of saying Sachin > Lara either. He was asked who was the toughest he bowled to and he thinks it is Sachin. Don't see what all the fuss is about.

 

[gvenkat]

Can't believe that people are questioning his personal opinion. Even I was surprised that he told me Sachin was the greatest opponent he bowled to. At that time when he played there were not many.

For those who want to know why he rates sachin above all here it is

But there was a high point in his career I suppose mid 90's probably where I just found it very difficult to bowl to him. The good balls that I bowled , I always said that that lesser batsman would defend and give me breathing space as a bowler, Sachin some how found a way to be able to apply pressure and put those balls away.

 

[Altaican]

Sachin Tendulkar's performance (Test + ODI) in matches involving Ian Bishop

Bishop actually rated Sachin very high long before mid-90s stats that you are pointing to (by mid-90s Bishop was less than half the bowler that he started off -- after his total change in action from the debilitating back injury that put him out of cricket from 93 to 95).

In fact, Viv Richards mentions in one of his interviews that the first time he heard about the name Sachin as a batsman to watch out for, was from Bishop (in 90 or 91), and it actually suprised Viv because West Indian bowlers (especially as quick and as hostile Bishop was, at that stage) usually never compliment rival batsmen. Bishop apparently bowled to Sachin in a FC match or two at that time, and Sachin just stepped out on the front-foot and repeatedly smacked Bishop back over his head without any regard to Bishop's reputation or speed . At that time, going on the front-foot and consistently attacking a reputed West Indian speedster like that (in any level of cricket!) was virtually unheard of. And Bishop also found out that Sachin was technically (and mentally) too strong and too gifted to be cowed down by short-pitched bowling.

Bishop has oodles of respect for Lara (as a batsman) too. As he mentions in this interview in 2005 that Lara is in the same class as Sachin (when it comes to batting). He also said several times that Lara is mentally the toughest batsman he has known. The thing though is, it is difficult, if not impossible, for most West Indians to separate Lara the batsman from Lara the captain (or Lara the "selfish" team-man). Despite his outstanding batting acheivements, Lara has never been a good influence on his team members.

 

[gvenkat]

The question I asked him was who is the toughest opponent you have played? Brian and Bishop were team-mates even in their FC cricket. So he would not have been his adversary.. Peeps here going on as if Bishop rated Tendulkar above Lara, which is not the case.